District Out of Danger of Losing State ‘Space-Saver’ School Funds

The Santa Ana Unified School District is no longer in danger of losing $23 million in state funding that had been set aside for a controversial school slated to be built at a shopping center here, a state official has said.

The state set the money aside based on a preliminary appraisal of the Bristol Marketplace site by the school district. The district hopes to acquire state funds to build the “space-saver” school under legislation intended to provide schools in crowded urban areas without condemning homes or businesses.

The site has been attacked because the preliminary appraisal was steep and included the cost to tear down and rebuild two businesses at the shopping center, at 17th and Bristol streets.

The State Allocation Board, which doles out money for school construction, planned to consider pulling the funding at its June meeting because the district missed a May 1 deadline to turn in a state-funded appraisal.

But Lyle Smoot, assistant executive officer of the State Allocation Board, said the district has turned in the appraisal.

“I suspect it will be on the July meeting agenda, to approve the final acquisition of the property,” Smoot said. “I feel much more confident about the project now. From my discussions with other members of the State Allocation Board, I think they’re getting closer to a meeting of the minds.”